Name: Billings Livestock Commission livestock auction prices — 2025-03-13
Creator: RaisedBeef
Published: 2025-03-13

Reporter comment USDA

As filed

Compared to last week: Feeder steer and heifer calves were all too lightly tested to develop an accurate market trend, however steady to higher undertones were noticed on all feeder cattle offerings. Demand was mostly good for light offerings. Quality this week was mostly plain to average today. Lots of variation was seen in quality again this week. Many blemished feeder cattle were seen this week as producers clean out pens following delivery off winter video sales. Package sizes were mostly small this week with a large portion of the offering with packages of 5 head or less. Demand for light cattle improved as differed CME feeder cattle contracts continue to inch higher. Feeder contracts have had several days of strong gains this week which helped provide support for buyers backgrounding light calves. Market activity was moderate to active this sale with bidders both ringside and over the internet actively bidding on offerings. Weigh up cows sold on good to very good demand for light to moderate offerings. Regional packers and major packers continue to push to own high quality offerings. Major packers purchased cows mostly to feed while regional packers purchased cows to slaughter. Demand for both slaughter and feeding cows was good to very good this week as a result. Slaughter cows sold mostly 3.00-4.00 higher on breaking cows, boning cows sold generally steady to 3.00 higher. Lean slaughter cows were too lightly tested to develop any market trend as most offerings were purchased to feed. Feeding cows sold mostly 1.00-3.00 higher on all offerings. Weigh up conditions were mostly below average today and similar to last week. Slaughter bulls sold steady to 5.00 higher in a narrow comparison. Young age cows suitable to feed or rebreed sold generally steady in a narrow comparison. Quality this week was mixed from plain to attractive.

Weight class

Heifers · summary 500–600 lb

Weighted average of every reported lot

500–600 lb heifers averaged $324.52/cwt on 60 head. That ranks 1 of 21 comparable sales and sits −109.34 against this barn's trailing median of $433.86.

Average price

$324.52

60 head · 541 lb average

Value per head Derived

$1,754

Price × average weight ÷ 100

Grade differential Derived

$97

per head · Medium and Large 1 over Medium 1

$53.50/cwt at this weight

vs the market

+2.93

vs MT average

+9.56 vs national

What quality paid 500–600 lb

Frame and muscle grade

Frame / muscle	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Medium and Large 1	520	336.00	1,747	36
Large 1	565	318.00	1,797	2thin
Medium and Large 1-2	567	314.95	1,785	16thin
Medium and Large 2	590	285.00	1,682	2thin
Medium 1	584	282.50	1,650	4thin

One grade step is worth $53.50/cwt here — about $97 a head. Across this sale the premium is widest at 500–600 lb. USDA reports each grade on its own line and never publishes the spread.

This barn's trailing prices 500–600 lb

21 sales

Heifers 500–600 lb: high $469.35, low $332.50, median $433.86 across 21 sales. Sales under 10 head in this class are excluded, so a thin day cannot swing the median or the ranking.

How it compared 500–600 lb

Same class and week · spot auction only

This sale60 hd

324.52

—

MT average3 barns · 147 hd

321.59

+2.93

National average179 barns · 17,787 hd

314.96

+9.56

This barn, trailing median21 sales

433.86

−109.34

A barn can sit above the state average at one weight and below it at another — check the class you actually sell.

Slaughter cattle

By class and quality grade · $/cwt

Cull cows and bulls are graded, not weight-classed — grade is what moves the money here.

Class	Grade	Dressing	Avg wt	$/cwt	$/head	Head
Bulls	—	Low	1,866	172.59	3,220	12
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	Average	1,669	146.62	2,447	25
Cows	Boner 80-85%	Low	1,421	146.48	2,081	157
Cows	Lean 85-90%	Low	1,158	138.79	1,608	58

Replacement cattle Per head

By class, stage and age

Bred stock and pairs are reported per head, not per hundredweight — these prices are never mixed with the $/cwt figures above.

Class	Stage	Age	Avg wt	$/head	Head
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Young (2-4 yrs)	1,111	$2,719	5
Bred Cows	3rd Stage (7-9 mo)	Middle Aged (5-8 yrs)	1,190	$2,700	1thin

Every lot, as filed

87 lots · USDA AMS · Billings Livestock Commission Cattle Auction - Billings, MT (Thu)

Nothing removed and nothing rounded — the same lots as the USDA report, with per-head values added.

Class	Grade / description	Weight	Avg wt	Price	Range	Per head	Head
Heifers	Large 1	600–650	605	284.00/cwt	284.00–284.00	1,718	1
Steers	Large 1	850–900	895	256.00/cwt	256.00–256.00	2,291	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	900–950	904	260.00/cwt	260.00–260.00	2,350	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	472	360.04/cwt	350.00–367.50	1,699	18
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	640	287.50/cwt	287.50–287.50	1,840	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	636	311.73/cwt	309.00–321.00	1,983	34
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,190	2,700.00/head	2,700.00–2,700.00	2,700	1
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	766	268.00/cwt	268.00–268.00	2,053	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	500–550	513	334.00/cwt	334.00–334.00	1,713	30
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	348	345.00/cwt	345.00–345.00	1,201	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	300–350	345	425.00/cwt	425.00–425.00	1,466	1
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	600–650	620	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,767	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	413	430.00/cwt	430.00–430.00	1,776	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	550–600	567	356.40/cwt	352.50–376.00	2,021	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	700–750	707	301.20/cwt	296.00–305.00	2,129	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	750–800	775	287.00/cwt	287.00–287.00	2,224	1
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	1100–1150	1,123	222.98/cwt	215.00–231.00	2,504	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1	600–650	618	331.00/cwt	331.00–331.00	2,046	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1Unweaned	400–450	443	405.00/cwt	405.00–405.00	1,794	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	700–750	715	290.00/cwt	290.00–290.00	2,074	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	750–800	768	267.65/cwt	263.00–274.00	2,056	7
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	950–1000	957	242.00/cwt	242.00–242.00	2,316	6
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	433	370.00/cwt	370.00–370.00	1,602	3
Bred Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,111	2,719.46/head	2,700.00–2,725.00	2,719	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	579	329.18/cwt	323.00–342.50	1,906	3
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2Thin Fleshed	600–650	627	304.00/cwt	304.00–304.00	1,906	11
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	418	365.00/cwt	365.00–365.00	1,526	3
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	825	256.00/cwt	256.00–256.00	2,112	1
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,070	182.83/cwt	149.00–220.00	1,956	59
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1Fleshy	—	1,442	175.41/cwt	162.00–181.00	2,529	4
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	450–500	483	367.50/cwt	367.50–367.50	1,775	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	725	290.83/cwt	286.00–293.00	2,109	5
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	350–400	384	380.00/cwt	380.00–380.00	1,459	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	900	206.79/cwt	200.00–215.00	1,861	2
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,037	211.52/cwt	190.00–259.00	2,193	61
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1	—	1,225	152.43/cwt	150.00–155.00	1,867	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	700–750	748	267.50/cwt	267.50–267.50	2,001	2
Bulls	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	580	317.50/cwt	317.50–317.50	1,842	4
Stock Cows	Medium and Large 1-2	—	992	162.86/cwt	147.50–185.00	1,616	20
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,633	149.17/cwt	144.00–153.00	2,436	10
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,718	138.18/cwt	132.00–144.00	2,374	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,541	129.67/cwt	125.00–133.00	1,998	5
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,450	144.23/cwt	136.50–149.50	2,091	23
Bulls	—	—	2,080	165.00/cwt	165.00–165.00	3,432	1
Bulls	—	—	1,964	183.52/cwt	183.00–184.00	3,604	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,454	132.17/cwt	120.00–139.00	1,922	10
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,389	152.89/cwt	150.00–160.00	2,124	43
Cows	Boner 80-85%	—	1,444	153.28/cwt	150.00–158.50	2,213	26
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,370	141.00/cwt	141.00–141.00	1,932	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,095	122.00/cwt	122.00–122.00	1,336	1
Cows	Lean 85-90%	—	1,183	131.77/cwt	129.00–135.00	1,559	2
Cows	Breaker 75-80%	—	1,641	158.40/cwt	157.00–160.00	2,599	5
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,223	150.77/cwt	149.00–154.00	1,844	21
Cows	Lean 85-90%Light Weight	—	847	103.26/cwt	102.50–106.00	875	4
Cows	Boner 80-85%Return to Feed	—	1,404	143.02/cwt	135.00–149.00	2,008	50
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,192	144.74/cwt	139.00–148.00	1,725	16
Cows	Lean 85-90%Return to Feed	—	1,113	126.37/cwt	119.00–136.00	1,406	14
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	885	210.00/cwt	210.00–210.00	1,859	1
Stock Cows	Large 1	—	893	177.50/cwt	177.50–177.50	1,585	5
Bulls	—Return to Feed	—	1,523	168.08/cwt	165.00–171.00	2,560	2
Bulls	—	—	2,010	173.70/cwt	169.00–176.00	3,491	4
Stock Cows	Medium 1	—	747	222.71/cwt	220.00–230.00	1,664	7
Steers	Large 1	700–750	740	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	2,091	1
Heifers	Large 1	550–600	565	318.00/cwt	318.00–318.00	1,797	2
Steers	Large 1	750–800	790	280.00/cwt	280.00–280.00	2,212	1
Heifers	Large 1	850–900	894	236.00/cwt	236.00–236.00	2,110	4
Steers	Large 1	650–700	698	308.00/cwt	308.00–308.00	2,150	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 2	550–600	590	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,682	2
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	600–650	648	325.00/cwt	325.00–325.00	2,106	4
Heifers	Medium 1Fleshy	550–600	584	282.50/cwt	282.50–282.50	1,650	4
Steers	Medium 1	450–500	493	340.00/cwt	340.00–340.00	1,676	2
Bulls	Medium 1	700–750	715	264.00/cwt	264.00–264.00	1,888	4
Heifers	Medium 1	450–500	478	326.37/cwt	320.00–330.00	1,560	8
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	650–700	693	285.00/cwt	285.00–285.00	1,975	5
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	900–950	909	245.00/cwt	245.00–245.00	2,227	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	500–550	538	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,722	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1-2	550–600	571	314.23/cwt	304.00–320.00	1,794	14
Steers	Medium and Large 1-2	400–450	413	385.00/cwt	385.00–385.00	1,590	2
Steers	Medium and Large 2	450–500	498	332.50/cwt	332.50–332.50	1,656	2
Heifers	Medium and Large 1	650–700	669	284.00/cwt	283.00–286.00	1,900	9
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	800–850	807	260.41/cwt	260.00–262.00	2,102	5
Steers	Medium and Large 1	800–850	827	282.00/cwt	282.00–282.00	2,332	12
Bulls	Medium and Large 1	550–600	590	320.00/cwt	320.00–320.00	1,888	3
Steers	Medium and Large 1Full	650–700	674	312.00/cwt	312.00–312.00	2,103	4
Heifers	Medium and Large 1Fancy	550–600	555	346.00/cwt	346.00–346.00	1,920	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	450–500	477	394.07/cwt	390.00–400.00	1,880	6
Steers	Medium and Large 1	400–450	401	440.00/cwt	440.00–440.00	1,764	7

How this sale compares

Montana weighted averages

One sale is one barn on one day. The state ladder is every Montana auction USDA reported that week, weighted by head — the fairer test of whether a lot sold well.

Montana feeder prices, every weight →Every state and region →